Hose coupling gauge



Nov. 19, 1935. A. ENGLAND I 2,021,842

HOSE COUPLING GAUGE- Original F-iled June 237, 1953 42 39 30 3/ 34 38 7H 1 ll I4. |I

NO 60 I Go 28 4 w a5 1 HI! I 4 9 38 IO I) fiw INVENTOR 2 ALEXANDERENGLAND BY A TTORN Tatented Nov. 19, 1935 HOSE COUPLING GAUGE AlexanderEngland, Wilkinsburg, Pa., assignor to The Westinghouse Air BrakeCompany, Wilmerding, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylvania Originalapplication June 27, 1933, Serial No. 677,806. Divided and thisapplication August 18, 1934, Serial No. 740,473

2 Claims.

This invention relates to test gauges and more particularly to a testgauge for hand operated hose couplings, and is a division of my pendingapplication Serial No. 677,806, filed June 2'7, 1933.

The railway type of hand operated hose coupling is usually provided onone side with a flat, machined face and opening to said face is a boreprovided to permit the flow of fluid under pressure. Opening into thisbore a certain distance from the fiat face of the coupling, is anannular, wedge-shaped groove. A gasket ring'having a cylindrical portionextending into the bore in the coupling is provided with an outwardlyprojecting, annular, wedge-shaped flange disposed in the groove in thecoupling for effecting a seal in the groove, the cylindrical portion ofthe gasket extending beyond the fiat face of the coupling and beingadapted to engage and effect a leakproof seal with the correspondingcylindrical portion of a counterpart gasket, when two couplings areconnected.

In the coupling, it is essential that the width of the annular groove,where engaged by the flange of the gasket, be within predeterminedlimits, and that the distance from the flat, ma-

chined face of the coupling to the groove also be within predeterminedlimits in order to prevent leakage past the gasket and to permit thegasket to function as intended.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a test gauge for hosecouplings to determine whether the location of the gasket groove withrespect to the flat gasket face of the coupling is within predeterminedlimits.

In the accompanying drawing; Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved hosecoupling gauge; Fig. 2 is a side elevation looking in the direction ofthe arrow in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view, similar to Fig. 1, but withthe gauge operating handles disposed in a gauging position; Fig. 4 is areverse plan view with the gauge operating handles disposed in a gaugingposition; and Fig. 5 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 2, but withcertain parts broken away, and showing the gauge applied to a hosecoupling.

Fig. 5 shows a transverse section of a hand operated hose coupling whichis of the well known type adapted for use in connecting the brake pipeor other pipes between cars in a train. The hose coupling comprises abody I having a fluid pressure conduit 2 communicating with a bore 3which leads to a flat machined face 4 on one side of the body.

A wedge-shaped groove 5, concentric with bore 3, is provided in thecoupling a predetermined shaped body 6 distance below the flat face 4,said groove being adapted to receive the wedge-shaped flange of theusual ring gasket (not shown), while the cylindrical portion of thegasket is adapted to extend through the bore 3 and slightly beyond 5 theface 4 of the coupling for engaging a corresponding gasket in acounterpart coupling (not shown).

The hose coupling gauge comprises a ringanda concentric metal boss Isecured to one side of the body by means of two screws 8. On the side ofbody 6 carrying the boss I, the body is provided with a gauging surface9 which is adapted to engage the fiat face 4 of the coupling 5, as shownin Fig. 5, an annular groove to being provided in the gauging surface 9to reduce the Width of the gauging surface 9 and thereby better ensureproper contact between said surface and the face 4 of the coupling. Theboss l is of suchdiameter adjacent body 6 as to provide a free slidingfit in bore 3 in the coupling and is provided with a portion l l ofreduced diameter which'freely enters the opening l2 adjacent the inneredge of the gasket groove 5, the, outer end of said boss being taperedto facilitate the 5 application of the gauge to a coupling.

Two diametrically opposite cavities 26 and 21 are formed in the boss 1.A shaft 29, having an en arged head portion 29 disposed in cavity 26, ismounted to rotate in a suitable bore in the body 30 6. A sleeve 39 issecured to said shaft by means of a pin 3|, and is adapted to hold thehead portion 29 of said shaft in engagement with the body.

A gauge blade 32 is secured in the head portion 29 of the shaft and isnormally carried within cav- 35 ity 26, and is of such length that whenturned to a radial position, said gauge blade Will extend into thegroove 5 of a hose coupling substantially the same distance as a gasketextends into said groove. The edge 33 of the gauge blade 32 is providedwith a contour substantially the same as that of the outer wall of thegasket groove 5, and is arranged a predetermined distance from thesurface 9 on the body 6, said edge constituting a go gauge for thedistance from the face 4 on the body to said groove. The width of theblade 32 is less than the width of the groove 5 in the coupling so thatthe edge of said blade opposite the gauging edge 33 will not engage thecoupling within the groove 5, when the gauge is being used as will behereinafter described. A handle 34 is secured to the outer end of shaft28 for turning the go gauge blade 32 from the position in cavity 26 tothe gauging position shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

A shaft 35 is rotatably arranged in a suitable bore in body 6diametrically opposite to shaft 28 and is provided with a head portion36 in cavity 21, a sleeve 38 being secured to shaft 35 outside of thebody 6 by means of a pin 39 for holding the head portion 36 inengagement with the body. A gauge blade 40 is carried by the headportion 36 and is normally disposed in cavity 21. The blade 40 is of thesame length as the gauge blade 32 and is provided with a gauging edge 4|like that of blade 32, but the gauging edge 4|, which constitutes a nogogauge, is closer to the gauging surface 9 on the body 6 than is thegauging edge 33 on blade 32. The width of the nogo gauging blade 40 isless than that of groove 5 so that the lower edge of the blade will notengage the coupling within the groove when the gauge is being used, aswill he hereinafter described. A

handle 42 is secured to the outer end of shaft for turning the nogogauge blade from the position in cavity 21 to the gauging position asshown in Figs. 4 and 5.

To use the gauge, the handles 34 and 42 are turned to the positionsshown in Figs. 1 and 2 which positions may be defined by the engagementof pins 39 and 31 with a member 14 carried by the body 6, and in whichthe gauge blades 32 and 40 are within the cavities 26 and 21 of boss 7.The gauge is now applied to the hose coupling I, the boss I entering thebore 3 in the coupling until the gauging surface 9 on the gauge body 6engages the surface 4 on the coupling.

After the gauge is applied to the hose coupling I, then in order todetermine whether or not the gasket groove 5 is properly located withrespect to the coupling face 4, the handle 34 of the go gauge is turnedtowards the gauging position indicated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, and thisoperation of said handle turns the go gauge blade 32 into the couplinggroove 5. If the edge 33 of the gauge blade 32 does not engage the upperwall of the gasket groove 5 it indicates that said groove is not too faraway from the coupling face 4 to be satisfactory. Then handle 42 isturned towards the gauging position shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 and if theedge 4| of the nogo gauge blade 40 engages the upper wall of the gasketgroove 5 it indicates that the groove 5 is not too close to the couplingface 4 to be satisfactory.

It will now be evident that by means of the gauge blades 32 and 40 thelocation of the gasket groove 5 in a hose coupling with respect to thecoupling face 4 can be accurately and quickly checked to determinewhether or not a gasket in said groove will be properly positioned tocooperate with the abutting gasket of a counterpart coupling in theproper manner to prevent leakage.

While but one illustrative embodiment of the invention has beendescribed in detail, it is not my intention to limit its scope to thatembodiment or otherwise than by the terms of the appended claims.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A gauge for checking the distance from the coupling face of a hosecoupling to the gasket groove opening into the bore leading tosaidcoupling face, said gauge comprising a member adapted to engage thecoupling face of the hose coupling, a boss on said member having a freesliding fit in said bore, and gauge means disposed wholly within saidboss when said boss is inserted in said bore and movable out of saidboss into said groove for checking said distance.

2. A gauge for checking the distance from the coupling face of a hosecoupling to the gasket groove opening into the bore leading to saidcoupling face, said gauge comprising a member adapted to engage thecoupling face of the hose coupling, a boss on said member adapted to fitinto said bore, said boss having spaced cavities opening to the sidethereof, a shaft carried by said member and extending into one of saidcavities, a gauge blade carried by said shaft in said cavity and movableout of said cavity into said groove for checking the maximum distance ofsaid groove from said coupling face, another shaft carried by saidmember and extending into another of said cavities, a gauge bladecarried by the other shaft and movable out of said cavity into saidgroove for checking the minimum distance of said groove from saidcoupling face and a handle secured to each of said shafts, for turningsaid shafts.

ALEXANDER ENGLAND.

